Sudoku Solving Techniques

Tips and tricks that help you solve more difficult puzzles

Introduction

This page lists different techniques you can use to solve Sudoku puzzles. Some are basic and can be used on easy puzzles and others are more advanced techniques that will help you solve more difficult puzzles. Most of them can be used on all difficulty levels.

Read through all of them to get familiar with them. Then use this page as a reference when you need to brush up on specific techniques. The techniques on this page are ordered roughly from the easiest to the most difficult.

"Hey Joe, do you have a loner cell I can borrow?"Techniques are “tools” you can add to your “toolbelt” to use when solving puzzles. As your solving skills improve you will find that easier puzzles aren’t as interesting anymore and that you can move on to harder ones.

You will learn many techniques that you can use to solve difficult puzzles. When you have mastered all of these techniques you will be able to solve any puzzle. Note that the hardest puzzles require you to use combinations of techniques, and even then they can be very challenging. But that is when it becomes fun. You really feel a sense of accomplishment when you solve very difficult puzzles.

Technique: Solving a single cell

Each individual cell can be solved independently. That is, if there are enough numbers it can see.